When you run a business the secret to attract customers or even reconnect with old ones is to connect with them on an emotional level. You need to get really deep and emotional. And while some people may be uncomfortable with getting all deep and meaningful about complete strangers, this is what it takes to attract new customers constantly.
There is a proven methodology to creating your customer Avatar. You need to go DEEP and get to the bottom of your customer’s irrational fears and deepest desires.
Why your ideal customer avatar is important?
A customer Avatar is a fictional character that represents your ideal Prospect. One completed it will help you understand the motivating beliefs, fears and secret desires that influence your customers’ buying decisions.
Your customer Avatar will help you fine tune your marketing efforts and help you understand why some products sell better than others. It also helps expose important gaps or conflicts in your marketing messages, of which you may be unaware. This one exercise can lead to a dramatic transformation in your business.
Without Your ideal customer Avatar your marketing will be generic and ineffective.
Creating a custom avatar is probably one of the most valuable skills you can ever learn about sales and marketing. Because he or she who knows their Market best… WINS. It’s really that simple. If you want to dominate your Market, just know your Market better than anyone else. It will Trump Superior copywriting or content or traffic creating abilities.
And I’m going to show you how to put together your ideal customer Avatar by answering a few questions. Where you know your market so well that if they so much as go pee at a certain time each day you’ll know about it! (:) Okay, maybe you won’t know THAT well, but you get the idea.)
We’re going to start with the exact same check list of questions I use when starting a new project.
Some of these questions are not going to be easy to answer, but it’s worth whatever time, energy and effort to completely fill them out. And after we go through this list, I’ll show you a couple of examples.
But first things first. Let me go over some of these questions with you:
Who exactly are the main buyers of this product? If you don’t have a buyer’s list then, until you have one, who is buying your competitors product?
Who wears the pants in the family when it comes to making buying decisions?
How old is your customer?
Is your customer male or female?
What do they do for work?
How much money do they make?
What’s their education level?
Are they in debt? How much?
Where are they located?
Do they own a home or rent?
What are their 5 biggest fears in life listed in order?
Do they have any enemies? Who and why?
What are the biggest mistakes these prospects are making that your product can help them stop making?
What is the #1 most urgent Hot Button related to your product they are attempting to solve? The things they go to bed worrying about and wake up obsessing over?
What feelings are they experiencing when they’re doing a Google search looking through whatever media you use to generate your leads?
What’s going on in the culture and society that affect them right now? What kinds of news stories do they read and keep current on? What current events affect them?
How do you want a visitor to feel when they arrive on your site or landing page?
What are they angry about and who or what are they angry at?
What kind of pain are they feeling right now emotional and or physical?
What are their top three daily frustrations?
What do they secretly, fantasize about having the most in life?
What kind of slang do they use in everyday conversation?
Who else is successfully selling something similar to them, and how?
What are the positive emotions the market wants that this product can connect with?
What are the negative emotions your Market wants to escape from that this product can connect with?
What books are they reading? What movies are they watching? What TV shows do they view each week? Who are their favorite actors, performers or musicians?
Do they crave recognition from their peers, family, friends or anyone in particular?
What do they do for fun?
What are their religious beliefs?
Do they have any hobbies?
What political party did they vote for and why?
What kinds of things do they complain or worry about to their friends over a drink?
What roles do they play in life? Boss, parent, lover, spouse, etc
Do they want revenge on anyone? Why?
Are these customers looking to be sold by the time they find you, or will they be looking for more information?
What other related products are they buying?
Why do they need what you are selling?
Why should they buy now?
Do they hang out at any forums, chat rooms, etc that you can look at?
What are they afraid of losing out on in life that’s related to your product?
How aware are your prospects of the problem your product solves? On a scale of 1 to 10
If you’d like a copy of the entire list, just leave me a comment and I’ll send it your way.
Here’s couple of examples around first time home buyers. The first example lacks detail, and therefore, effectiveness.
A Weak Example:
“Our ideal customer is a first time home buyer that wants to get into home ownership. They want to learn about the process of buying, so our tools are useful for helping them get there.”
A Better Example:
“Customer Avator #1 – First time home buyers
The ideal customer is a young couple (let’s call them the Jones). The Jones have been renting a home in Calgary, but now seek to move to the suburbs, although within commuting distance work. They have a one-year-old child and would like to live in an area with the best possible school system and a comfortable environment, similar to the small towns they grew up in. The Jones are not familiar with the different communities in Calgary beyond what they have read on their own and having driven through a few times. They desire help not just with finding a home that meets all of their needs, but also advice from someone who knows the entire city and the ins and outs of moving in. Furthermore, this is the first home the Jones will buy and they are a bit out to sea on all of the implications and legal hurdles. Although they are well-read on the subject, most of what they read suggests that they find a real estate agent who they feel they can trust and rely on. Therefore, trustworthiness, knowledge, and experience are the key elements the Jones look for in a real estate agent.”
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